A 2 minute read, written in August 2026 and read over again on 10 October 2026
Padel positioning: where to stand, and when to move
More club points are lost by standing in the wrong place than by hitting the wrong shot. Positioning is the cheapest improvement in padel and almost nobody practises it.
There are only two good places to stand
About two metres from the net, where you can volley downwards and cut off angles. Or just in front of your back glass, where you have room to let the ball bounce and come off the wall to you. That is the list.
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Everything between those two is no man's land, and the service line sits right in the middle of it. Stand there and every ball lands at your feet, and every lob goes over your head. Use the service line as a place to split-step and decide, then keep moving.
The net is worth having
The pair at the net hits downwards and the pair at the back hits upwards. That is the whole game in one sentence. At every level above absolute beginner, the pair that controls the net wins the large majority of points, which is why so much of padel tactics is really about one question: how do we get in, and how do we stop them getting in?
Two metres is the right distance. Closer and any decent lob goes over you. Further back and you are volleying up instead of down.
Move like you are tied together
Imagine a three-metre rope between you and your partner. Forward together, back together, and sideways together. When your partner is pulled wide to a side wall, you slide across to protect the middle. You do not hold "your half", because halves are a tennis idea. In padel you defend the ball, not a rectangle.
Your call
You are both at the net. They lob over your partner on the far side and it is heading for the back corner. Who goes?
The lob belongs to whoever can get behind it facing forwards. Then both of you drop back together.
The formation to avoid is one up and one back. It opens a lane through the middle and offers a free lob over the deep player, and it is the single most common shape you will see on a club court.
Going forward: the two-step rule
Do not run from the back wall to the net in one go. Lift the ball, take a step to the service line, and read their contact point:
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- Their racket below the tape, or reaching, or turning: go, all the way in.
- Their racket above the tape and body set: stop, split-step, and cover the ball coming down at you.
Committing in one blind run is how good players get passed at their feet.
Going back: turn and travel
When you are lobbed, the mistake is backpedalling while facing forward. Turn side-on and run, get behind where the ball will be, and let it come to you. If you can take it in the air as a bandeja, you keep the net. If you cannot, let it bounce, let it come off the glass, and reset with a high deep ball.
Which side should you play?
Right-handers usually pair a forehand-side player on the right with the backhand-side player on the left, so that the left-side player takes most of the middle balls with their forehand. If you are the more aggressive overhead player, take the left as a right-hander: more balls come to you and more of them can be attacked. None of this is a law. It is a starting point you should test.